Thomas w



(No Model.) I

T. W. MORAN. UNIVERSAL JOINT FOR STEAM COUPLINGS.

No. 459,565. Patented Sept. 15, 1891.

INVENTOI? WITNESSES K ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES A-TENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. MORAN, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE MORAN FLEXIBLE STEAM JOINT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

UNIVERSAL JOINT FOR STEAM-COUPLINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,565, dated September 15, 1891. Application filed February 24, 1390. Serial No. 341,526. I (No model.)

T at whom it may concern: renders them useless for the purpose of steam- Be it known that I, THOMAS W. MORAN, a brakes or steam-heating. citizen of the United States, and a resident The socket-section A is formed with a deep of Louisville, in the county of J eiferson and or ellipsoidal chamber a, at the marginal por- State of Kentucky, have invented certain new tion of which is provided the annular spheri- 5 5 and useful Improvements in Universal Joints cally-beveled bearing a, which is offset infor Steam-Con plings; and Ido declare the folward in order to provide steamway around lowing to beafull, clear, and exact description that portion of the ball which, extends into of the invention, such as will enable others this chamber and which carries the steam- 1o skilledin the art to which it appertainstomake opening 1). Around the exterior of the marand use the same, reference being had to the ginalportion of the socket-section is provided accompanying drawings, and to letters of refa thread, as at a", which terminates at a cirerence marked thereon, which form a part of cumferential stop shoulder 0, which is this specification. ground true and is designed to engage the 15 Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective circular edge e of the ring coupling-bearing view of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a central in a close and steam-tight manner when said longitudinal section. coupling-bearing is screwed home.

This invention has relation to universal A is the threaded opening of the socketjoints for steam-conveyingpipes; and it consection, axially placed, and provided with a 20 sists in the novel construction and combinawrench-seat exteriorly in order that it may tion of parts, as hereinafter set forth. be readily connected with the piping.

The object of this invention is to provide a The ball section consists of the hollow flexible hollow ball-joint wherever the bearsphere having the opening I) and the hollow ing portions will have but a loose connection neck 13', also threaded and provided with a 2 5 and will be comparatively without pressure wrench-seat for pipe connection:

of coaptation when steam is not applied, so The annular coupling-bearing Cis provided that they will move upon each other without exteriorly with a wrench-seat, and interiorly that grinding or cutting action which causes it has within its converging lip portion 0 wear, but which, nevertheless, when steam is the annular spherically-beveled bearing 0,

30 being oarriedwill be automatically pressed which is at its inner margin offset interiorly, against each other, so that the joints while as at c'. From the shoulder thus formed flexible will be perfectly steam-tight. extends to the circular stop edge a of the This joint is designed for use especially in ring the interior thread m,which engages the connection with the coupling-pipes of steamthread a" of the socket-section. The spheri- 5 brakes for railway-trains, as thesepipes are cally-bevcled bearings a and c" are turned not normally understeam-pressure, but when upon the same radius, while the stop edge 0 brought into action require that the joint of the ring coupling-bearing when screwed shall be true and perfect, as upon its charachome is caused to bear against the stop-shoulter it may happen that the safety of the train der 0/ of the socket-section, whereby the 40 will depend. bearing-surface a is held away from the ball- In the accompanying drawings, the letter section when under pressure, and said ball A designates the socket-section of the joint, section is adapted when not under pressure B the ball-section, and O the annular coupto rest loosely between the spherically-bevling-bearing, and it is proper to state that, eled surfaces or bearings a c" to permit the 5 broadly, the employment of a socket-section, leakage of the water of condensation. The 5 a ball-section, and an annular coupling-bearball, therefore, which has its equatorial poring is not new, as such parts have been used tion located between these bearings not only in forming close-fitting joints, which, on achas entire freedom of movement when the count of mechanical pressure, havea cutting joint is not carrying steam, but also is With 50 or grinding action in the bearings, which soon out any pressure except that due to the grav- Ico ity of the parts against the annular couplingbearing. In this condition there is therefore no grinding or cutting action between the parts to Wear away the ball or bearing and destroy the steam-tight character of the joint. When steam is applied, the ball is automatically pressed up closely against the bearing 0 by the steam,and the joint at once hecomes, although flexible, perfectly steamtight.

Having described this invention, What I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

The self-adjusting flexible joint for steampipes, consisting of the hollow ball-section,

the annular coupling-section having an in- 

